Friday, February 10, 2017

Destroying Donald Trump In Song

As much as I would love to see Donald Trump physically
removed from the planet, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen anytime
soon. I was hoping he would suffer a heart attack, but the trouble with that is
he doesn’t have a heart. However, musicians have been releasing songs
ridiculing him. And I believe this is a man who can be ridiculed out of
existence. He has the thinnest skin of anyone to ever walk upright. Here are a
few songs that are worth checking out. And why not share them with Donald?

“Can’t You Tell?”
by Aimee Mann

The first song against Trump that I heard was Aimee
Mann’s “Can’t You Tell?” A friend sent me the link on January 10th. In this
song, Aimee Mann sings from Donald Trump’s perspective, portraying him as a
frightened, unstable lunatic. “Isn’t
anybody going to stop me now?/I don’t want this job/I can’t do this job/My god,
can’t you tell/I’m unwell.” And she plays with his name on the lines, “I throw out any shit I want/And no one
trumps that card.” I love these lines too: “To wind up all the tops and watch the others keep the spin/You handing
me grenades is just compelling me/To pull the pin.”

Then on January 18th, I heard this great song from Jim
Infantino (of Jim’s Big Ego and End Construction), offering some truths about
the president (originally titled “Unbelievable”). “He’s a racist fascist/broke
misogynist hateful vengeful/leering lecherous friendless narcissist/treacherous
villainous bogus ghastly/stammering yam.” And check out these lines: “He's a thin-skinned tangerine/Who’s
compulsively mean/To protect his self-esteem/Believe me.”

“Not Gonna Say Your Name” is one I first listened to on
January 22nd. It opens with some beautiful vocals, delivered a cappella: “There are people who say we ought to give
you a chance/But there’s not a chance in hell/That we’ll sit back and watch you
try to turn back the clock/And just sigh and say ‘oh well.’” This is a
passionate and excellent song. “I’m sick
of your name/I’ve heard it enough/I’d rather not hear it anymore.” And here
are some lines I think a lot of folks will appreciate: “Tell me, don’t you have a mother?/A daughter, a wife?/Man, you really
ought to be ashamed/The way you brag about grabbing what gave you your life/You
must really think life is a game.” The video has footage from the protests.
By the way, this song is a benefit for Planned Parenthood.

On February 1st, I was sent a link to the music video for
“Evil Baby” by Mercy Weiss. This is a fun, playful and still poignant song,
with a good groove. “I know what you
are/Get out of the house/You’re evil, baby.” I’ve already listened to this
song several times. This video also has footage from protests.

I also first heard this one on February 1st, though it
was actually released before the election. It plays on Trump’s vanity, even
including a reference to Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain.” Here is a taste of the
lyrics: “You think we’d let a fool into
Air Force One?/You think you’d make America great again?/Man, you’re the worst
fuck-up since Vietnam.”

Sung in Spanish, “Piñata Trump” is a delightful tune about hitting Trump with a stick
(something we all want to do at least ten or twenty times a day). “La Piñata
Trump/Por favor, dejame pegarle/Con el palo de la escoba.” The music video
includes an English translation of the lyrics for those folks who don’t speak
Spanish.

Well, this one obviously speaks strongly to me. And I’m
already a big fan of Steve Poltz’s work. But it’s a seriously excellent song,
and one you’ll probably be singing along with soon enough. “Hey God, I’ll trade you Donald Trump for
Leonard Cohen/Come on, God, you know which the way the winds are blowin’/The
climb, it is so high, and then it starts a-snowin’/What do you say, God, Donald
Trump for Leonard Cohen.” And if God won’t go for it, Steve offers to trade
Donald for other folks we lost in 2016, like Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher (“We don’t need some swindler, pussy grabber
and a kisser/What do you say, God, Donald Trump for Princess Leia”), David
Bowie, Harper Lee, and Prince.

This is another hilarious song from Jim Infantino. The only downside to Donald Trump being forcibly removed from office would be an end to these Jim songs. This one tells the story of the frightening events that occurred in Lizard Woman Kellyanne Conway’s brain. It is done in the talking folk song style that Woody Guthrie developed and that Bob Dylan used in some of his early work. “Chaos wasn't everywhere/Screams did not fill the air/Black smoke failed to cloud the sky/Lots of people did not die/It was carnage/American carnage.” And check out these lines: “So a lot of time passed/Now it seems everybody remembers Bowling Green/When Frederick Douglass and Schwarzenegger fought side by side.”

This is a fun and passionate (and not at all subtle) folk tune about the “sexist racist orangutan.” Check out these lines: “Thank the GOP for this monstrosity/And the media for giving him his press for free/Yeah, we all say that he'll just go away/If we ignore the stupid shit he says every day.” Yes, this song was recorded before the lunatic was actually elected. “It’s easy to be wealthy when your daddy is rich/Now he’s taking your donations in a bait and switch/Why do the poor like Trump despite/The fact he hasn’t been poor a day in his life?”

This is a song with the punk energy that we need to combat this mendacious bastard. And it presents a great idea: “Let’s build a wall/Around that liar.” Build a wall around Trump? Perfect! Hey, I bet Mexico would gladly pay for that wall. Turn this one up and sing along. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Let’s box him in/Let’s build a wall/To save our children/Let’s keep the Donald hidden/Make America great again.” This one is also known as “An American Song,” and indeed it is.

About Me (And About These Blogs)

I started the music blog to let people know about all the good music that is out there. I only review CDs that I like. (This is partly selfish, as I don't want to listen to music I dislike.) Good Things About Bad Movies is about finding something good even in the worst films.
I created an index, with a list of all of my blog entries, including Shakespeare entries and music reviews, arranged alphabetically by subject. Here is the link: http://michaeldohertyindex.blogspot.com/
My friend Jason and I have a web series, "Grandmother Winsome's Variety Minute," and several episodes are up on You Tube, and also on the Grandmother's Fanny Game blog. What else? I am fascinated by the Marquis De Sade and Elizabeth Bathory. I often make decisions based on the humor factor.